New Tower
During the holiday break, elevators began to run in the new tower. As a result, construction equipment and materials could be transported up and down within the building itself. There was no longer a need for the skip hoist that for some months had been in the middle of the east façade, so the skip hoist was dismantled. With the skip hoist out of the way, workers could begin to complete the exterior of the east side of the new tower along Mills Street, filling the open spaces where materials had been moved out of and into the skip-hoist car.
Much of the tower’s south façade has now been covered with decorative terra cotta. Workers have moved to the west side of the building and the framework of brackets to which the terra cotta will be attached will soon be installed both on the west and University-Avenue sides of the tower.
Construction at the North End of Daniels Continues
The new tower will be connected to the existing Daniels wing at the fourth and fifth floors, as well as from the second floor down to the sub-basement. On Monday, January 4, 2021 construction began to reconfigure the corridors at the north end of the Daniels building and accommodate doorways to the new building.
3rd floor work involves the reconfiguration of Rms. 3345 and 3351. This construction work is internal to these two rooms. It involves changes to ductwork to accommodate doorways to the new building on other floors. There will not be a connection to the new building on floor 3, but changes on floors 5 and 4 necessitate changes on floor 3.
4th floor work involves the reconfiguration of Rms. 4343 and 4351 to connect the research floor of the tower with Daniels.
5th floor work involves the demolition of Rms. 5341 and 5351. The fifth floor of the tower is level with the fifth floor of Daniels, and this work will open the doorway that connects them.
6th floor work is scheduled to begin on Friday, February 12. It involves blocking the windows in rooms 6341 and 6351. All construction work will be internal to these two rooms.
Construction activities will not affect access to labs, offices, or the stairwell. Dust and debris will be contained behind construction barriers. There will be occasional noise and vibration. The work is expected to be complete in early March.
Shutdowns of Daniels and Mathews Wings—Latest News
The dates for the planned shutdowns have slipped. Here is the current, but still tentative, schedule:
Mar 12-29 Daniels – closed to all occupants (switchover to new supply air system)
Apr 13-28 Mathews – closed to all occupants (switchover to new exhaust system)
This information supersedes any approvals regarding building access that you may request or receive via the Marauder map (entry.chem.wisc.edu).
Heating, ventilation, and fume hood exhaust will be affected. There will be fluctuations in ambient room temperature. We do not expect electric power, process cooling loop, water, sewer, house nitrogen, or natural gas supply to be affected, but the construction activities are complex and extensive so it is not possible to anticipate all eventualities. Instruments and equipment should be left in a condition that does not require monitoring during the period of the shutdown.
The schedule is not yet final, so we will provide further details as planning develops. There will be one month’s advance notice of confirmed dates.
Graphic Schedule of Upcoming Events
Many different construction activities are simultaneously affecting our building complex. We summarize them graphically below.
This information is up to date as of Monday morning. Email bulletins will be provided as needed.
We thank Jim Maynard for the images in this newsletter issue.
John Moore and Bob McMahon